NOUNS INTO VERBS – Dr Dawn Gould

One constantly reads/hears that the world has become a global village. Maybe but one has to physically travel to visit a city in another country thousands of miles/kilometers distant. Still the world does seem to shrink as modern technology comes more and more dominant in the lives of human beings.

It is easy today to send an email to a family member or friend far away and it will reach the person the same day and a reply can be returned in a few hours. Letters even those sent by air mail, often took weeks to be received. It is in this technical world that we now find ourselves turning nouns into verbs and trusting the receiver understands this new aspect of the English language.

EG: We now EYE an opportunity We BOOKMARK websites. A new idea can be WORKSHOPPED. Emails are kept in an INBOX. SHOWBOATING is recognized as someone showing off.